Evil deeds in Iran? British are suspects No. 1
America - the Great Satan itself - is often portrayed as merely a hapless, muscle-bound child manipulated by smarter, craftier, more deceitful forces in London.
IHT: The Danish Embassy was attacked and pelted with gasoline bombs two days in a row because of the caricatures of the Prophet Muhammad published in a Danish newspaper. The Austrian Embassy was stoned and had all its windows smashed for the same reason. The United States has been dubbed the World Oppressor, and Israel has always been at the top of the enemies list.
But to understand who it is that Iranians distrust most of all, one need only to visit Bobby Sands Street. Named after the Irish republican who died of a hunger strike in 1981, the street runs right past the British Embassy in a busy neighborhood of Tehran.
A not-too-subtle finger in the eye.
"We have not seen anything other than bad things from the British since they stepped foot here 200 years ago," said Seyed Razi Abbassian, 72, a dealer in collectable stamps and currencies who works from a shop across the street from the British Embassy. "We have no good memories of the British."
In an often bitterly divided country, Abbassian's outlook is one that unites Iranians of many social, economic and political classes. The idea that Britain is behind much of what goes wrong in Iran is not just another conspiracy theory, but rather a prism through which many domestic events are often viewed. Indeed, America - the Great Satan itself - is often portrayed as merely a hapless, muscle-bound child manipulated by smarter, craftier, more deceitful forces in London.
One European diplomat said that he had received a gift one time from an Iranian schoolchild: a drawing showing America as a marionette with Britain pulling the strings.
"For 200 years we have had a political relationship with the British," said Mansooreh Ettehadie, a history professor and writer. "They have never been innocent. There is a feeling in Iran, that is widespread, that the British have not been blameless."
As Ettehadie intimated, there are sound historical reasons for the Iranians to suspect the British. Early in the 20th century, she said, Britain tussled with France and Russia over control of the country, and Britain's success in the south, and in dominating Iran's rich oil fields, left a bad taste. She said, for example, that for many years Iran did not even have its own central bank but had to rely on the Imperial Bank to issue currency.
And as every Iranian schoolchild knows, it was the British who engineered the coup that brought to power the dictatorial Shah Mohammed Reza Pahlavi, who founded the hated dynasty that lasted until the Shiite revolution in 1979.
Distrust of Britain is so ingrained in the public psyche, especially among the older generation, that it has been joked about, written about and even dismissed as paranoid, but never done away with. One of the most popular novels in Iran, "My Uncle Napoleon," is a comic love story spoofing how Iranians see a British hand in all dark deeds.
The book popularized the phrase, "This is the job of the cross-eyed British," which is often used here with a smile and a wink. It can be said when bombs go off or when there is really bad traffic.
While many Iranians are, themselves, adept at poking fun at their Brit-fixation, the prevailing view also serves to complicate the already tense relations between London and Tehran over such matters as the Iranian nuclear program. One Western diplomat, who asked not to be identified so as not to inflame his host country, said that Iranians often raise the specter of "historical inequities" with the United Kingdom in diplomatic meetings.
Recently, as Britain, the United States and their European partners pressed for Iran to be referred to the United Nations Security Council for its nuclear activities, Iranian officials accused the British of some recent bombings and deadly plane crashes in Iran.
In each case, government officials noted that Britain was not working alone but in tandem with Israel and the United States. Nevertheless, Britain was the ringmaster.
If there is one contemporary event that continues to anger many people, it is the coup staged in 1953 that ousted the prime minister, Mohammed Mossadegh, and reinstalled the shah, who had fled the country. Although the Central Intelligence Agency was involved in ousting Mossadegh, popular sentiment here holds that it was British intelligence that pulled the strings.
"The British were responsible for ending Mossadegh's rule," said Mustafa Jahangard, 26, who runs a fruit and vegetable store in central Tehran.
Asked who is disliked more in Iran, the United States or Britian, Jahangard first drew a distinction between the American people, who "are good," and the American government, which "is bad." No such distinction was made of the British.
"The British win in this competition," he said. "England is even worse. They are sneaky."
The anger and suspicions are widespread, and widely discussed. In a Jan. 31 edition of Resalat, an Iranian daily, an article about the bombings in Ahvaz ran beneath the headline: "England's hand in measures against our national security."
"Britain, the old colonizer, has a hand in all of these criminal measures," the article said, adding: "Another trick of the government of the old colonizer, England, is that whenever its secret intentions - in conspiring against others - are somehow revealed, it takes totally friendly positions, that are against America's positions, regarding Iran; and when everything is back to normal, it follows up its previous hostile positions."
The British Embassy occupies a large compound in Tehran and is tucked back inside, behind a tall brick wall. Reza Razavi said he had run his pen store on a corner, across from the wall, for 12 years, and had never, to his knowledge, had a British customer from the embassy. He said it was easy to believe that the British are up to no good because of recent charges made public by Russia about a British diplomat caught working as a spy - and of course, the Mossadegh affair.
As for all the negative deeds Iranians attribute to the Americans, he said, "If you think abut it, America was under the British, as well." Link
db: Surely not. Jack Straw a cheating, lying bastard? No Sir, this is England ..... Now hand over the gold.
IHT: The Danish Embassy was attacked and pelted with gasoline bombs two days in a row because of the caricatures of the Prophet Muhammad published in a Danish newspaper. The Austrian Embassy was stoned and had all its windows smashed for the same reason. The United States has been dubbed the World Oppressor, and Israel has always been at the top of the enemies list.
But to understand who it is that Iranians distrust most of all, one need only to visit Bobby Sands Street. Named after the Irish republican who died of a hunger strike in 1981, the street runs right past the British Embassy in a busy neighborhood of Tehran.
A not-too-subtle finger in the eye.
"We have not seen anything other than bad things from the British since they stepped foot here 200 years ago," said Seyed Razi Abbassian, 72, a dealer in collectable stamps and currencies who works from a shop across the street from the British Embassy. "We have no good memories of the British."
In an often bitterly divided country, Abbassian's outlook is one that unites Iranians of many social, economic and political classes. The idea that Britain is behind much of what goes wrong in Iran is not just another conspiracy theory, but rather a prism through which many domestic events are often viewed. Indeed, America - the Great Satan itself - is often portrayed as merely a hapless, muscle-bound child manipulated by smarter, craftier, more deceitful forces in London.
One European diplomat said that he had received a gift one time from an Iranian schoolchild: a drawing showing America as a marionette with Britain pulling the strings.
"For 200 years we have had a political relationship with the British," said Mansooreh Ettehadie, a history professor and writer. "They have never been innocent. There is a feeling in Iran, that is widespread, that the British have not been blameless."
As Ettehadie intimated, there are sound historical reasons for the Iranians to suspect the British. Early in the 20th century, she said, Britain tussled with France and Russia over control of the country, and Britain's success in the south, and in dominating Iran's rich oil fields, left a bad taste. She said, for example, that for many years Iran did not even have its own central bank but had to rely on the Imperial Bank to issue currency.
And as every Iranian schoolchild knows, it was the British who engineered the coup that brought to power the dictatorial Shah Mohammed Reza Pahlavi, who founded the hated dynasty that lasted until the Shiite revolution in 1979.
Distrust of Britain is so ingrained in the public psyche, especially among the older generation, that it has been joked about, written about and even dismissed as paranoid, but never done away with. One of the most popular novels in Iran, "My Uncle Napoleon," is a comic love story spoofing how Iranians see a British hand in all dark deeds.
The book popularized the phrase, "This is the job of the cross-eyed British," which is often used here with a smile and a wink. It can be said when bombs go off or when there is really bad traffic.
While many Iranians are, themselves, adept at poking fun at their Brit-fixation, the prevailing view also serves to complicate the already tense relations between London and Tehran over such matters as the Iranian nuclear program. One Western diplomat, who asked not to be identified so as not to inflame his host country, said that Iranians often raise the specter of "historical inequities" with the United Kingdom in diplomatic meetings.
Recently, as Britain, the United States and their European partners pressed for Iran to be referred to the United Nations Security Council for its nuclear activities, Iranian officials accused the British of some recent bombings and deadly plane crashes in Iran.
In each case, government officials noted that Britain was not working alone but in tandem with Israel and the United States. Nevertheless, Britain was the ringmaster.
If there is one contemporary event that continues to anger many people, it is the coup staged in 1953 that ousted the prime minister, Mohammed Mossadegh, and reinstalled the shah, who had fled the country. Although the Central Intelligence Agency was involved in ousting Mossadegh, popular sentiment here holds that it was British intelligence that pulled the strings.
"The British were responsible for ending Mossadegh's rule," said Mustafa Jahangard, 26, who runs a fruit and vegetable store in central Tehran.
Asked who is disliked more in Iran, the United States or Britian, Jahangard first drew a distinction between the American people, who "are good," and the American government, which "is bad." No such distinction was made of the British.
"The British win in this competition," he said. "England is even worse. They are sneaky."
The anger and suspicions are widespread, and widely discussed. In a Jan. 31 edition of Resalat, an Iranian daily, an article about the bombings in Ahvaz ran beneath the headline: "England's hand in measures against our national security."
"Britain, the old colonizer, has a hand in all of these criminal measures," the article said, adding: "Another trick of the government of the old colonizer, England, is that whenever its secret intentions - in conspiring against others - are somehow revealed, it takes totally friendly positions, that are against America's positions, regarding Iran; and when everything is back to normal, it follows up its previous hostile positions."
The British Embassy occupies a large compound in Tehran and is tucked back inside, behind a tall brick wall. Reza Razavi said he had run his pen store on a corner, across from the wall, for 12 years, and had never, to his knowledge, had a British customer from the embassy. He said it was easy to believe that the British are up to no good because of recent charges made public by Russia about a British diplomat caught working as a spy - and of course, the Mossadegh affair.
As for all the negative deeds Iranians attribute to the Americans, he said, "If you think abut it, America was under the British, as well." Link
db: Surely not. Jack Straw a cheating, lying bastard? No Sir, this is England ..... Now hand over the gold.
posted by exoplanet at 8:23 PM
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